Soil compaction in the cotton industry has been identified as a major limitation to crop growth. This led to the establishment of several CRDC funded research projects dealing with the management of soil compaction. However, it has proved difficult to diagnose this problem in the field. In mid-1987 the Macquarie Valley Soil Management Service was set up to aid growers with their soil management decisions; they found that in about 30% of cases, it was difficult to make recommendations about the degree of soil compaction. A majority of this uncertainty was due to poorly defined techniques for assessing soil condition. The aim of this project was to evaluate, and where necessary refine, the techniques currently available for soil structural assessment in the field. The techniques for the assessment package, where possible, have to be rapid and repeatable, with low degrees of operator subjectivity. They will help farm agronomists, consultants and extension personnel to make better soil management decisions, and monitor the changes in structural condition from year to year. The package will be incorporated into the SOLpak manual.